Note: Sorry this is a day late. I am a teacher and had a tough day yesterday so I didn't get to finish proofing. Here it is now though! Enjoy!
Chapter Four
Instinct
Trivia night use to be the worst, but with Maka on the team, Soul actually felt proud.
It had been something Blake had started a few months back to bring in customers to the bar, and Soul typically worked on those nights because people seemed to actually enjoy trivia. After Maka had begun to show up and play until the bar closed (and distract Soul), Blake had decided to let Soul have trivia nights off. Currently, their team consisted of Maka, Soul, Kilik, and Kid. The remainder of the group was working, besides Tsubaki, who was trying her best to fight off a cold.
Their group stood around a cocktail table, each of them with a drink in hand and eyes glued onto the T.V. screen in the back of the bar. It was an app game of some sort, where each team put their name in. A question would then pop up on the T.V. and the teams would have to answer within a given time limit. So far, there were only three teams playing, but their team was in the lead by two hundred points.
Maka was tucked against Soul's side, his arm around her waist as they laughed at a joke Kilik told them. Another month had come and gone, a month since Soul had woken up to a hungover Maka cuddled into his chest. A month of his heartbeat picking up a little more every time she touched him or left one of her casual kisses.
"Oh, I know this one," Maka gasped as she looked at the app on her phone quickly, tapping rapidly on one of the answers. A green check mark appeared on the screen and the team received two hundred more points.
The next questions flashed on the T.V. screen. What does the term 'piano' mean?
"Pick B," Soul said as he sipped on his drink. Maka blinked at him for a moment before picking the answer, to be played softly. A green check mark flashed on the phone again, and the team got another two hundred points. Maka looked up at him and smiled.
"How did you know that?"
"I play piano."
"Really," Maka turned towards him and Soul let his arm drop, already missing her warmth, "how come I never knew that?"
"Never came up," Soul finished the last of his drink, "I'm gonna grab another drink. Want anything?"
"Nope," Maka smiled at him again and looked back at the T.V. as Kilik said to press answer C. Soul smiled as he watched her and leaned down to press a kiss to the top of her head before walking to the bar.
"You're in it, man," Blake said once he arrived to help Soul.
"I don't know what you're talking about."
"Sure, keep telling yourself that."
Soul rolled his eyes and took his drink. When he joined the others, the round for trivia night was over and they had won. Maka looked happy as she talked to the others and Soul slid into the conversation.
"I didn't know you were into the arts," Kilik said as Soul joined, "you know, I'm in the visual arts program as Uni. They have a pretty good music program too."
"You should apply," Maka gasped, turning to slap Soul on the chest, "it's perfect."
"Whoa, easy there," Soul looked at the group, "I haven't played in a while, I just mess around with writing stuff. The only piano I have is some electric keyboard I found on the side of the road a few months ago. Plus, I work at two dead-end jobs. I don't have money for a University."
"There's scholarships," Kid spoke up, "and I think my father made sure there were enough for at least five admissions per program. He's good at that kinda stuff, thought I think five is a little high."
"Yeah, and loans," Maka chimed in, "I used loans, which suck because you have to pay them back, but I could help you fill out paperwork."
"I'm good," Soul took a sip of his drink, "besides, I don't even think I wanna go back to school."
"You don't think," Maka tapped his head with her finger, "that's for sure."
"Hey, watch it blondie."
Maka stuck her tongue out at Soul before leaving to use the restroom. He watched as she walked away and into the hallway that lead to the restrooms. He turned back to Kilik and Kid who were now debating the pros and cons of college admissions. Soul wondered how he tolerated the two whenever they began to debate.
"Why haven't you thought about school, Soul?" Kilik asked, trying to get out of the conversation with Kid.
"Dunno," Soul shrugged, "money and timing mostly."
"Well, like you said earlier, you've got two jobs now," Kid said, "and you've been in this area for, what, a year now? Do you think you're going to move somewhere else any time soon?"
"I haven't thought about it, but you never know."
"I think you should at least tour," Kilik finished the last of his own beer, "just to check out the place. It's a history school, so about half the classes revolve around the history or your major and when you graduate, you have a certification in the history of whatever you're majoring. I'll have a certification in modern-era sculptures and architecture."
"Maka told me you did a lot of sculptures. What do you use?"
"Mostly metals. I like to heat them up and see how they react."
"Pyromaniac," Kid smirked. Kilik punched the other man in the shoulder and then went to get himself another drink.
"If you want a tour I can set one up," Kid said, turning towards Soul, "since my father's out of town right now I have been taking over some of his duties as dean. I can arrange a private tour, have you introduced to some professors as well."
"Thank Kid, but I don't really think that's my kinda crowd."
"Just think about it."
"Okay," Soul's eyes flicked to the hallway Maka had disappeared down, "I'll think about it."
"I grabbed another one for you too Kid," Kilik joined the guys again, putting down a second beer bottle, "when does the next trivia round start?"
"How long has Maka been gone?" Soul asked, looking for the clock in the bar.
"I don't know," Kid replied, looking at his watch, "maybe ten, fifteen minutes? But the women's restroom is usually a pretty long wait."
"Yeah, but there's not too many girls here tonight," Soul took a sip from his beer before putting it down on the cocktail table, "I'll be right back."
"So protective," Kilik sighed as Soul walked away.
Soul made his way towards the hallway, mumbling excuse me as he pushed past a few people. As he got closer, he heard a familiar, rugged voice echoing from the hallways followed by Maka's own retorte.
"I said," Maka snarled as Soul rounded the corner, "no thanks."
As the scene unfolded, Soul felt the voice inside of his head laugh madly.
Maka was pushed up against the wall, eyes made of fire as Ragnarok leaned forward, trapping her in with one arm pinned against the wall and the other one beginning to creep up her thigh, fingers threatening to push up under her skirt.
"Come on, sweetheart," Ragnarok smirked, "I'll be the best you've ever been with, I can promise that."
"Get your fucking hands," Soul growled, snapping the two's attention to him, "off my girl."
Before Ragnarok could retaliate, Soul was down the hallway. He swung and landed a punch on Ragnarok's cheek, making the man stumble backwards, but ultimately freeing Maka from the intrusion. She hissed his name at him as she reached out and gripped the front of his shirt, tugging for him to follow her and leave the situation.
"You mother fucker," Ragnarok laughed, rubbing the blood from his mouth as he turned to face Soul, "it's fine, take your slut and run off."
"What did you say?"
"You heard me."
"No, I don't think I did," Soul moved towards the man again, ignoring Maka's plead for him to back off. "Say it again. Say it again and see what happens. I knocked your ass down once, I can do it again."
"I said," Ragnarok loomed over him, but Soul's presence filled the hallway, "take your fucking slut and run off. It's okay, I'm sure she's working with her pussy of a father to make some extra money. Nothing wrong with a little side work, sweetheart, and I am willing to pay."
Soul hadn't know what it meant when people said they saw red, but in that moment, it finally clicked.
His fist went flying and the two men began to fight. Maka hollered for help behind them, but neither of the men seemed to hear her. As Soul dodged one of Ragnarok's punches, he heard the voices of Kilik and Kid from down the hall, along with some other guys as they came to break up the fight. Soul was pulled away, and something silver caught the corner of his eye.
Maka stood in front of him, raising her hands to touch his face, eyes inspecting a bruise forming on his cheekbone, but behind her Ragnarok had pulled out a switchblade, and swung it open. His arm arched and he brought it down, and suddenly everything was in slow motion. Soul yelled for Maka and she began to turn around, eyes wide. Then, he broke free of the grip Kilik and a stranger had on him, shoving Maka to the side and watched as the blade narrowly missed her, but landed on the new target - him.
There was a scream, some yelling, and Soul watched as blood began to soak the front of his shirt. But, a fist connected with the side of his head and then all he saw was black.
Soul woke up to the smell of antiseptics and the warmth of a hand in his.
He didn't open his eyes because he could already feel the brightness of the room behind his eyelids, but he listened because there was another person in the room that he could feel. And there were words, words he couldn't quite make out, but if he listened closely enough …
"Baby, I just … I'm worried. I don't wanna see you go down the path your mom and I went down," Spirit's voice sounded far away but Soul knew he was in the room.
"I understand Papa," it was Maka who was holding his hand because as she spoke, he felt her grip tighten, "but this isn't you and Mama. Soul and I, what we have going on, it's … different. We're friends."
Spirit added something else, but there was a pull inside of Soul towards sleep and the next thing he knew he was waking back up, this time blinking his eyes open.
"Well shit," Blake was sitting next to his bed, hair a bit disheveled but a loopy grin plastered to his face, "there's the ugly bastard."
"What are you doing here," Soul groaned, closing his eyes again, "and why do I ache so much."
"Well, you got pretty beat up," Blake sighed, leaning back in his chair, "from what I heard, you and Ragnarok got in a fight, he pulled a knife, and you got in the way. You had to get a few stitches there, dude."
"Fuck," he groaned again, touching his chest and feeling the rough pattern of stitches underneath the medical gown. He flinched, forgetting how sensitive the wound would be. "Where's Maka? Is she okay?"
"She's fine. She's a little shook up but that girl is made of steel. She went to get some coffee."
"Jesus," Soul moved and sat up a little more, wincing at the soreness of the wound.
"Oh my God," a voice came from the door of the room and the boys turned to see Maka standing there with two cups of coffee in hand, "Oh my God, you're awake!"
She almost dropped the coffees as she rushed to the bedside, thrusted the cups at Blake, and then threw her arms around Soul's neck. He wanted to tell her that she was hurting his chest, but the warmth and smell of her pushed the pain away. Soul lifted his arms, wrapping then gingerly around Maka. She pulled away after a moment, her hands moving from his shoulders to his face as she ran a thumb over his cheek.
"This is my cue to leave," Blake said as he stood up, grabbing his cup of coffee, "I'll let the other's know you're up and good."
"I should get the doctor," Maka said as she pulled back. Soul grabbed her wrist as she stood, Blake already out of the room.
"Stay a little long," Soul pulled her back and Maka slid onto the cot, sitting next to him, "I don't wanna worry about me, I wanna check on you."
"Soul, you're the one who got basically stabbed," Maka rolled her eyes and moved her hand to be holding his, "I mean, seriously? What even made you think that was a smart idea."
"Instinct?" He offered with a raised eyebrow. Maka smirked and shook her head at him. "I'd rather it be me than you in this situation."
"You're ridiculous," Maka reached out again, pressing her free hand to his cheek, "I'm glad you're safe."
"I'm glad you're safe," Soul placed his hand over hers and he turned to kiss her palm, mirroring the time he did it so long ago. (Was it really only two months?) "If he hurt you … I don't know what I would have done."
"But he didn't," Maka leaned forward, pressing her forehead to his, "and that's what matters."
"Yeah, you're right," he replied.
Soul then closed his eyes, drinking in her presence for a moment longer, feeling her against him for a few more seconds, before he had to go back to the reality of what they were. Friends.